T(P)ainted.....

This post is really written out of anguish. There is so much furore over MF Hussain being offered Qatar citizenship and Indian govt. doing nothing to help him be brought back.

Ask me, I feel he did better be out of this country for his and our own good. Mr. Hussain - Just becos u created a lot of master pieces on canvass, it doesnt mean that u ve d liberty to draw our hindu gods in nude. Mind u, jus cos u were in India that u were able to do it...try it in Qatar, come out with obscene paintings of their kings / gods, u will find ur hands chopped off or u wud be dying in their prisons.

If MF Hussain was truely loving his mother country, then he must ve shown more respect to its culture and beliefs...especially to the major religion Hinduism. In the name of art (bull shit) he has taken so much independence to offend the dignity of Hindus. I now see him as a villian just like a Kashmisr terrorist. Hussain, if u really ve d b***s, then y dont u paint Qatari King or Queen or ur own god in nudity . You cant, Mr. Gentleman, cause u wil get f***ed by people of ur religion. Thats wat he is, a typical hypocrite, who does things only for publicity and not caring for the beliefs of the masses

Worst than this is his character, at 80+ he still vies for lust by chasing Madhuri and finally stops for god knows wat reason. Is this a nice trait of a master painter of this generation. Y the hell do v need a guy like him in our already one billion plus people. Let him stay out forever, if he wants to live peacefully till he breathes his last.

Country's highest judicial authority cleared his name and permitted him to come back and promised him maximum security. Wat else needs to be done to bring this Old hypocrite back. Still media blames Indian Govt. for staying mum in bringing him back to India. Does d president of d country need to fall at Hussain's feet and beg him to come back. This is wat d media actually wants to, only to up their TRPs. Barka Dutt / Pranoy Roy / Rajdeep / Goswami - you people are really not doing any justice to our country except raking money by hosting useless, one-sided, stupid talk shows & interviews. Like Hussain, even you guys need to be banished forever from India. All I see is that Hindus are targeted by everyone always in their own country. Why Barka, y cant u pose for Hussain's obscene paintings if something is burning inside you cause he was expelled. Only then you will understand wat pain it causes to you and to others. Try to empathise with ur fellow indians not Hussain.

Though RSS, MNS are following violence to instill fear, they are really needed in this country to save us - the Hindus. Since our country is secular, every f***er from other other religion tries to s**g on us. Wat a sad state we really are in. Stay away, Back off Hussain.

M-A-M-A

I hate Maan ada, Mayil Ada..from day one...its one of d worst ever programs on TV on weekend. Given a choice of watching M-A-M-A or watching some homeopathy doc's program on any channel, i prefer the latter. Its one of the worst prepared and presented show offered to our tamil audiences.

Though lots of talent oozes out before our eyes of d participants, its still badly hosted. Especially, the Judges, i lost all respects for that Kala Master's talents...i loved her works a lot, esp most of d dances she choreographed for Kamal and lots of other actors. Khushboo...she must b taking care of her kids and helping her hubby Sundar to select proper scripts...Namita, Ramba..pls. i dont want to throw something abusive..

D sets and themes r creative but dancers and choreographers are so crazy with their concepts for d show. Added to d misery is Kala master and gundu gang's judgements and comments....ayo rama, enna yen intha mathiri karisana show ellam parka vekkire...too much importance to Kala master & Khushboo, well they are not gods, plus they demand it...contestants cry, weep, vent out anger, but still they r rock solid...wat really makes my blood boil is d costumes of judges. When kala came as a gypsy, i puked ..and then was rolling on d floor....man, it was so funny than winner vadivelu's comedies...once she appears as pilot, thooo.....shame to all u lady pilots...and kala, u dont deserve it...finally it was one as SP superintendent of Police....man, for those who watched it, brave guys, including myself...it was so horrible...it makes me feel that they r making a mockery out there..one buffon of a contestant perform shit in d costume of jim carry in MASK, wat an insult man...

Pls. try to do meaningful stuff, watch hindi shows and learn..pls dont think too much of urself MAMA...ur show is sick and never can it become a hit unless, d judges are fair and can atleast dress up to d occassion instead of shocking us wid all stupidites on this planet....i hate kala and MAMA....

Speed Breaker

Tippasandra market is so congested, everyone living nearby wud agree to it. Its so narrow wid 1/3rd occupied for parking vehciles and balnce of d road is wat is left for vehciles of all forms and sizes. To top it are our heoric vehicle drivers who dare us to drive when they r in d opposite direction despite d road being a one-way. Even a slightest idiocacy or manuvere goes wrong, half d road will be jammed, even a new born in Tippasandra wud vouch for that. Nothing new huh? seri matterukku varen.

After nice dosa dinner at Akka kaienthi bhavan, my rommie & me reached our fav juice shop for some cane juice. Sipping d juice, we noticed a police jeep zip & stop alomost in the middle of road. Looked like SI & his chamcha of a constable wanted a juice & they walk to d shop leaving d jeep rite in d middle of d road. Unfettered abt wat traffic their unparked jeep wud cause, they were ordering mausambi, cane, butterfruit, pomegranate and....Then d scene goes like this - our red gargantuan Volvo ends up rite behind cop jeep which is now a nandi or a buffalo on d road...d timing was so perfect, SI was about to take his 1st gulp and d volvo driver, honks madly that stray dogs start to run too...now our SI is engrossed in such an important job, aka scketching 26/11 terrorists...his face truns red as his concentration on d juice is jolted like munivars react when their thavams r interrupted. His ching-chak, notices and in a process to show is mariyadhai to his yejamaan, yells at d driver to cross over, in d gap of some 2-3 inches bet d bus & jeep. Any able driver cud do that, but problem wasnt that, bus driver was shouting to explain dat d hanging branches of d trees on d roadside wud damage roof of d bus and wanted d jeep to give way 4 him to swerve and drive wo any damage to d bus...of course, bus is worth nearly a crore, whose heart wont pain for even a scratch on it...but then our SI is so much enjoying his juice, he cares a damn but only for d bitterness in his glass of pomegranate juice. Constable threatens driver, abuses, foul mouths, and d meek drivers staggers slowly with trees branches screeching, scrathing his lovely bus...Traffic is now crossed beyond my eye sight...all cause of one act of arrogance of our upholders of law...POLICE!! Bus scrambles out, other vehicles follow route, luckily things clear out slowly after some 15 mins...every passerby in vehicle, stares at d jeep as if it was Kasab on d road...

Our Police guys finish juices, 6 in all and drive off...without paying even a ruppee...i look into d eyes of our juice stall owner and then to my roomies and another customer....all ve only expression...EXPRESSION OF ANGER....

Triplicane - Peregrination into Past

Triplicane - one of d oldest & most bustling place in Chennai. I wud say its d nosiest, crampiest, dirtiest place but also d sweetest, warmest place at heart. I grew up there, 1st 10 years of my life were spent there. And I loved every bit of time I spent there growing. But then, things changed, we got our own house in suburban chennai, Villivakkam & moved, one & for all. But my love 4 that place remained at heart with memories to last forever. I never visited Triplicane much past 15 years, hardly had a reason to go there & staying far away from city, didnt even think to travelling so long too. But I longed to visit it. Last saturday, I got a chance to ve a nice ride around places where I lived, played, strolled, rolled (!!), studied, enjoyed, missed....

My last visit to proper visit to Triplicane was GOK. I was jus thinking of returning home, after dropping my mom in her office last sat'day, that suddenly I thought y not visit Triplicane and also blog d experience?? And then i decided, yes its time and I was heading towards old home following my school route from Gopalapuram. I used to get dropped in a cycle Rickshaw with another 8 kids. I wonder know how we all fitted in that little vehicle and a puny rick puller used to bear all our weight and peddal all d way smoking his beedi, playing MGR songs. I just headed to Royapettah where, I realised I had forgotten d route, obviously...then after enquiring a passer-by, I reached Triplicane High Road, Big Mosque junction...things unfolded b4 me in B&W. Ice House, I knew d lane from where our rick used to enter d Ice House rd, I stopped a couple of houses where my old friends used to get in, well didnt know they still stay there or not. Entering one of d lanes, i noticed, Triplicane had truely transformed. So many flats in d cramy lanes whr 2 bikes coming in opposite directions wud get stuck, & even more shops...I still remember, these lanes used to be so free & with Odu veedus (tiled roof houses)...everything gone today...but still home is home at d end, i still love d place. There was aura of holiness and tradition still lingers all thro' d place.

My old homes at VR Pillai st & another at OVM st to which we shifted for a brief period. They unvieled a scene of d movie 'Autograph' b4 me..man, i can empathise wat cheran wud ve felt to see old people, old places...Then came d temples which were my favorite in my childhood, though now i hardly get time to visit them...d huge Parthasarthy temple & d gigantic ther outside d temple, small but equally holy Raghavendra temple...Ganesh temple at Big st...my fav one & fav god...i dont know how many pradhakshanams i wud ve made there praying for everything & anything of childish desires.
Half of our neighbours had vansihed, either to abroad or other cities...so many new faces all around, except few shops and houses we knew which existed thro' time.

Certain hangouts of those days were degree coffe stall at triplicane market, ratna cafe, were still there...drawing people in thousands even today..my dad used to take me there every sunday for a wonderful b'fast of hot idlies & steaming sambar. Queen store, Rex fashions, hundreds of second hand books shops near Ghosh hospital, Jam bazaar, Chepauk stadium, parakum train (MRTS), PWD office, Madras University, Marina beach...everything remain till data reminding of place...d mad crowd, wandering cows, cranky cycle ricks, mosque chants, numerous mosques with people from all over india, bustling markets...Man, thats Triplicance for you - one gr8 landmark place of Chennai forever.

After meeting a few friends and my old landlords, it was time to leave...of course, that wasnt so pleasant a feeling....but then, villivakkam beckons me....bye bye Triplicane...miss u always...

An afternoon with a Government Beurocrat

At last I am blogging, something like getting out of a deep, long slumber. Well, this weekend, I had experienced a lot, which sure needed to b blogged...i dont want them to escape memory...Not this one atleast...

It was on Saturday, both my parents were working that day, quite unlike for Government Employees, but yes, there was this special ocassion & they had to gruel it out on a weekend. My dad left early and since I was nearly jobless, I offered to drop my mom at her Office. Both my parents are State Government Employees, both in Labor Department of TN Govt. And this is something they cherish a lot & keep chirping abt with gr8 pride. Truely as in their young days, a govt. job in hand was equivalent to ve conquered Everest (jobs werent that easy sometime in late 70s).

My Moms office is in DMS, for people who know chennai well, DMS is a hub of Govt offices, next only to Chepauk. I have to say, I hate govt office for petty reasons too, lets not get into the broader agonies since its so known that nothing works there...I hate it cause of d dull wooden furniture, iron godrej cupboards (or locally b-e-e-r-o), noisy typewriters, loads of dusty files, rickety fans, dull tubelights, idle & chattery people, unions & their din...its just purely unbearable...shows d sorry state of India's development track. Arrghh...being pampered in my revolving cusion chair at d well furninshed and lit office, this view of govt office was an sloppy!!...But having accepted to drop my mom, I also had to accept her wish - she wanted me to meet her boss. But I agreed, quite unwillinging to her request, cause her collegues were all amazed for me, my workplace and my qualification. Though I am very secretly proud of my self at these, I feel odd when others watch & talk with an awe at you for wat u r..I met a few of her collegues & they started complimenting me & generally questioning on IT sector, pay, Bangalore etc etc. But then, to them all this was just amazement, not only wrt me, it was wid everyone & anyone in private jobs, particularly banks, ITs..my friends have also experienced same. And then, it was time for me to meet my mom's boss.

He is the Deputy Commisionner of Labour for one of the Chennai Divisions. Its quite a big job, cause I learnt (from mom of course) that anything related to Ministries, important govt. orders & crucial cases, his presense is perennial and his word is ultimatum. I expected an old man, mostly grey-haired, with thick glasses, dressed in safari suit, protruding belly and dumb talks as i was walking towards his room. But I really was in for a surprise...

He must be somewhere nearing 40, looked very smart, dressed in formals even on an off day, clean shaven, talking on a N73 while glancing at his LCD monitor as I entered the room. A very broad smile which even my past manager didnt give me when it was my 1st day in office, made me feel very warm. Offering me a seat after introduction, he started to hit straight into serious conversation on IT & Govt. and recent deals of all big IT cos. in TN & India. Man, I was astonished, this man knew a lot, starting from PCM/CMM status of my co. to recent Cloud computing, he was firing everything at me. And I really was not expecting this. What I thought would be a 5 mins shake hand, bye bye stuff was turning to be more serious. And not to stop, we shifted from IT to recent amendments in Company's Act & Labour laws. This was getting better now, as things were really interesting. He was explaining complexities on why there cant be unions in IT cos., govt. relaxations on such cos. thich to date even I wasnt aware of and he did reciprocate same intense interest on business and deals that my cos. was into. Finally, no talk is complete without pulling in Share Markets and that prolonged for next 15 mins. Lastly, we had to leave as DCL had a meeting to attend. We shook hands and this time, his shake was harder, and mine humbler.

I just bid a bye to my mom & left d office. Next I knew was that I was only thinking for this man, how on earth, he has built so much knowledge sitting in that dusty office. I later learnt he was PG in Madras University & immense experience to support his sound knowledge. But wat kept hovering my mind was is this man wasting his time in a Govt. office? maybe he must b trying his worth elsewhere? How many such hidden gems are there in our country? And y is Govt. vehicle so rusted even with such bright people?? Truely, meeting wiht d DCL changed a lto of my perception on d Govt. beurocracy...i really thought Collectors, IPS and Revenue personnel were d only sensible people in entire govt. operations, but not at all...I can bet, dat even a senior managerial employee in a top MNC wouldnt have such mammoth knowldge combined with such simplicity...well they do enjoy status and privileges which grossly mismatches their peers in industry, but their presence in the Govt. is for sure consequential.

The poet in my friend

Srinivasan aka Tall Srini as he is called, my beloved friend, recently sent me this poem, that he had penned. Ghosh, it was so simple but was like a thunderbolt too...i never knew his hidden talent of this poetic capabilites, a good worker, very humorous and a exact "vadivelu" mimic, his exhibition of this skill left me open mouthed..i thought i should have it in my blog...(won the copyrights first..;). It s named Never -..so apt, Never can one understand the pain of another losing in Love. Here it goes -

Never

I never saw someone so beautiful

until you crossed me.....!

I never heard anyone's voice so sweet

until you spoke with me....!

I never felt such a medicine

until you kissed me....!

I never felt I can become a poet

until I loved you....!

And I never thought I loved you

until you left me....!

Simply awesome...keep writing Srini!!!

A Horrific Phantasma....

I dream a lot. Be it a doze for a minute, snoozes on a bus or train ride, afternoon naps or the long night sleep, I dream in a nanosecond after the eyelids kiss each other.

One such morning when I was back to Chennai after a strenuous overnight journey, I laid on floor to continue my rustled sleep in the train. Ahhhh....Heaven, relaxation....Home indeed Sweet Home!!! My eyes closed to take into dreamland yet again...

"A cloudy day, sun playing hide and seek; jostling crowd in some typical Chennai 40ft road...spearated single concrete median; ricks, cars, bicycles, buses whizzing....now i see a big Peepul Tree at the bend of the road...wat am doing at this place??

I see a group crowding a metropolitan bus. Oh, its windscreen shattered, no one inside, its standstill in the middle of the road. Now, something's wrong here...lets me see wat's up...

Oh God!! Oh no!! spare me oh Lord, its so horrid wat am I seeing, someone is under the wheels, in a crumpled form...poor soul...."

Uuuugghhhhh...what a nightmare!!! its 8 am. Bad to wake up wid such a nightmare. I get up with this nasty dream still looming in my mind...and go brushed it while doing my teeth...My mom asked be to apply vibuthi (sacred ash) on the forehead before i sleep that night, when i told her about the dream...

Same Day - evening 4 pm :

Mom and I were out for shopping for my new home to Pursaiwakkam. I was enjoying my bike ride in the city, whizzing and swirling, my mom doesnt complain but seldom does control. We were in Ottery, where the narrow main road around 40ft separated by single concrete medians having slum tenaments on rod the banks. Some half way into the road, we noticed cars and heavy vehicles being diverted thro' a narrow lane. This wasnt unusual in Chennai roads especially when passing thro' slums. Clashes or protests or accidents result in such diversions often. Unassumingly, we budgded ahead, when.....I felt Deja Vu. The scene of my dream unfolded right in front of my eyes -

There was this Ashok Leyland staff bus right in the middle of the road, with its windscreen powdered, no passenger inside the bus and....and......behind its rear wheel lied a still body, crushed beyond recognition...Poor soul, O god, u r so merciless at times....Some one was No More...!! My Dream, my spooked dream...I saw all this and it has happened too...wats wrong?? Is this extra sensory perception....??? How can it be so similar in the occurence?? Was something wrong with me??

I stopped my bike, I started to tremble, sweating and too shocked to react. My mom comforted me, but still I felt numb in mind. This was something bad that had ever happened in my dreams, so far only pleasant things seemed to be a Deja Vu. But now, a tragic ending....How i wish my dream never came true, or atleast i was able to save him....Most bizzare occurence....ironically, that night when I slept, I didnt dream anything...My mom had smeared the vibuthi on my forehead after I feel asleep.